#HourofCode Sparking the Need for Computer Science Curriculum

It's been great to see all the posts on Twitter this week and the many articles focused on National Computer Science Education Week. The #HourofCode hashtag has been lighting up Twitter this week, which has been really exciting to see (and I have loved reading and sharing all the great links).
Science and teaching students coding. All of course in response to this week being

The idea behind #HourofCode is to expose as many people, especially students, to the basics of coding. The hope is by showing that anyone can learn coding, need for, interest in and involvement with computer science will increase. One of the many articles I read this week was one that suggested Computer Science courses should be considered math credit. I think this is a great idea - it would provide a valuable math credit option for students, especially those not interested in the traditional Algebra II, pre-calculus, calculus path, which is usually the push for a majority of students. Often a path completely unnecessary for most students, who would benefit more from Probability & Statistics, Computer Science and Financial Literacy courses, which often don't exist as options. In fact, I would go so far as to say, that computer science classes would be far more beneficial for the majority of students as math credit than Algebra II, pre-calculus or calculus. In this technological age, where a majority of jobs require tech skills, coding and/or the ability to understand coding is a necessity.

I look at my recently graduated daughter (from UT Austin), who graduated with an Advertising Degree and is having a difficult time getting a job in large part because the skills many marketing/advertising companies are looking for are coding skills: HTML, Java, Codex - can you design and build a website? An app? None of which was part of her advertising curriculum. And not something that was offered in her high school either. Will she go out and learn it now? Absolutely (hopefully on-the-job training!). But, what this emphasizes for me is computer science is a vital need in our K-12 and higher-ed curriculum and one that is NOT being given enough focus.

Hopefully, #hourofcode is helping to make Computer Science become a required course/subject in schools. But, if it's not in your school, there are so many resources where, no matter what you teach, you could begin utilizing/teaching coding in conjunction with your own topic. Why not start the movement yourself in your own school? The links above provide many resources, but here are some specific resources as well.Obviously there are many more options out there, these are just some of my favorites, with students in mind.

Globaloria - this is an amazing curriculum that can become part of any content area. Students learn coding and content by developing a computer game to teach others. Check it out here: http://globaloria.com/ I've had the privilege of working with these folks, and they do an excellent job connecting Common Core, Next Generation, and ISTE Tech standards to content while students learn to code.
Code.org Has some great #hourofcode tutorials kids will love. Just some listed below:

Minecraft
Star Wars
Frozen

Tynker has grade-level games and coding and teaching support as well
Khan Academy - coding tutorials among the many free content videos available.
http://www.teachcs.org/

Implementation Dip - It's Not Just Test Scores, It's Any Change

I read this article yesterday by Andrew Ujifusa entitled New Tests Put States on Hot Seat as Scores Plunge . Basically, states that have implemented new standardized tests to address revised academic standards, such as the Common Core State Standards, have seen a drop in student scores, so panic has ensued. What I want to know is: has no one ever heard about the implementation dip? Whenever you try to implement something new, there is going to be a period of adjustment, scores will go down if we are talking tests, classroom behaviors will change and achievement will go down if new teaching strategies are being implemented - in short, any time you try something new, it is NOT going to go exactly as planned! Mistakes will happen, things will be bad before they get better - it's part of the whole change process. Which is why we need to be implementing changes slowly, early, and over time so that things that go wrong can be adjusted. Image from images.google.com What ...

Social Media's Impact on Personal Life - Personal Reflections

The question - does social media impact personal life? The answer - yes. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? The answer - it depends. I have been on vacation the past week or so and am currently on personal leave to finish writing my dissertation proposal (which, as you can see, I am procrastinating!) During my vacation, I swore I would take a break from blogging, Twitter, email, and all things electronic. I lied. I admit - I did honestly make the attempt and in fact, did not turn on my computer one time. However, the iPad is a constant companion, especially since the books I am reading (currently, the Game of Thrones series) are on there, so I had the iPad with me a lot - even on the beach. It was very easy to check if I had emails, to check out my Facebook or to send a Twitter or two. Long story short, I failed miserably at the disconnecting aspect. View from chair and under canopy! Which brings me back to the question of does social media impact p...

Lecture, Direct-Instruction or Talk - There's the Confusion!

In yesterday's weekly #edchat Twitter collaboration the discussion focused on the flipped classroom, where, naturally, there was quite a bit of debate around the idea of video lectures. What became apparent was the many different interpretations of the term 'lecture'. This came to the forefront for me when I offered up the idea of TED Talks as one option for learning rather than a teacher's video lecture, and someone said "TED talks are just lectures, so how is that better?" This stumped me as I have never thought of a TED talk as a lecture, which is funny, because now, forced to think about it, I guess they could be construed as lectures, depending on your definition. Which of course has led me to this post! Obviously, my perception of a lecture is not the same as others. What is MY definition of a lecture? Perhaps it's my many years of being both a student and a teacher, but for me a 'lecture' has rather negative connotations, as I envisio...

Greenhaus Education and Other "Effects"

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